Page 95

HARLEY

I woke up before my alarm. The sun was streaming in through the half-opened curtains, falling in golden stripes across the bed.

The bed, which I was currently occupying alone.

I sighed. That’s probably what had woken me up.

I was getting too used to rousing into Steph’s arms and nuzzling his chest. Exchanging lazy morning kisses before we went downstairs to make coffee.

Without him, the bed was too big and too cold.

I rolled over with a huff, wanting to press my face into his pillow to capture a hint of the musky scent of his skin, which was when I spotted the note. I grabbed it and sat up.

Went okay, the note read in Steph’s tall, slightly messy handwriting. Couldn’t sleep. Meeting at the clubhouse this morning. See you later.

He’d signed it S , with a little heart with a rectangle around it. I blinked at the illustration for a moment, then realized it was an ace of hearts.

Smiling, I brushed my thumb over the signature. Too cute. I’d have to keep this one in my wallet.

I didn’t like waking up without Steph, but at least he’d let me know he was okay.

My alarm was due to go off in just a few minutes, so I went ahead and cut it off, then climbed out of bed. I stretched my arms over my head, pulled on one of Steph’s shirts, and then padded out into the hall. I drummed my fingertips against Dylan’s door, then pushed it open.

“Dyl,” I said quietly. “Time to get up.”

He groaned. “Already?”

“Yup,” I said. “If you want to make it in time for soccer practice, you better get up. I’m gonna start breakfast.”

Dylan pulled the covers over his head. “Five more minutes!”

“Don’t fall asleep,” I said with a laugh. I left the door open and went back downstairs. I put on the coffee, then heated the skillet and tossed a few slices of bacon in. Just as I had planned, the scent of the bacon lured Dylan out of bed and downstairs.

“Is Auntie Mia coming over?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, she’s going to drive you there. With Uncle Hawk, too.”

“Yay,” Dylan said around a yawn.

The soccer outing had been Mia’s idea. She’d played in college, and now she coached a team, but she also did more casual, smaller lessons with kids of all ages.

She’d invited Dylan to join one of these sessions so he could get some playtime with kids his age.

He enjoyed playing with his baby cousin, but I knew he was longing to talk to some kids who could actually form sentences.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to be cooped up in this house for so long,” I said.

“VR helps,” Dylan said, rubbing his eyes again. “It’s okay, Mom. I know you grownups didn’t want to tell me the bad guys are still out there, but it’s pretty obvious.”

I tugged him to my side and ruffled his hair. “You’re too smart for your own good, kid.”

“Duh.”

“This’ll all be over soon,” I said. “Your dad’s got it all under control.”

“I know, ’cause Dad’s a badass.”

“Hey! Language!”

The door swung open, and Steph stepped into the living room.

“Language? Who’s cursing? Mmm, smells good in here.

” He smiled as he sauntered into the kitchen.

He looked good, but exhausted: a smile on his face, but deep, dark circles under his eyes.

It was a look I was used to seeing, and it broke my heart a little.

“Not me,” Dylan said sheepishly.

“I hear Mia’s taking you to play soccer,” Steph said. He stole a sip of my coffee with a wink, then ruffled Dylan’s hair. “That’s good. I know it sucks to spend all summer in this house.”

“It hasn’t been that bad,” Dylan said. “We’ve got the whole lake. And I get to work on my shifting with Striker.”

“Well, the rest of our summers are going to be a lot more fun than this,” Steph said. “I promise.”

“Go get changed, Dylan,” I said. “Mia will be here soon. I’ll make you a breakfast sandwich.”

“Nice!” Dylan raced back upstairs, suddenly full of energy.

I pulled Steph into my arms. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He tipped his nose into the crown of my head and inhaled. I felt some of the tension leave his body.

“You okay?” I loved his scent: the familiar musk of his skin, the rich earth of the forest, and a little bit of campfire smoke. I wondered if he’d shifted the night before, or if he’d just spent the night outside, lost in his thoughts.

He nodded. “As well as I can be.”

“What happened?”

“Last night was harder than I expected.”

I pulled away to look into his eyes. “How is that even possible?”

“I learned something new about Sean,” he said. “About our childhood.”

“What do you mean?”

I held Steph close as he told me about their childhood—about Sean’s fantasies of suffocating him in his sleep, about pushing him into the freezing lake in the hope that he would drown.

I never knew Sean, but I knew Steph cherished his childhood memories. In his memories, he held the brother he knew as a child. His friend and his confidante. And apparently, that had never been true. Sean had been dreaming of his death since they were just kids.

Tears welled in my eyes.

“Whoa, whoa,” Steph said. He cupped my face. “What’s wrong?”

I laughed incredulously. “What do you mean, what’s wrong? That’s so… Steph, it’s so awful. It’s so sad. You loved him.”

“Of course I did.” His expression softened when he realized my tears were for him. “Honestly, despite everything, a part of me probably always will.”

“You have such a big heart,” I said.

“Sometimes that’s not a good thing,” Steph said. “At least, not in my world. That conversation put things into perspective for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sean can never come back to the clan. He can never recover and come back as a member of Lakeview, and he can never leave and become an alpha of his own clan. All I wanted was for him to be the brother I remembered, you know? But last night I realized that would never be possible because that brother doesn’t exist. He never did.

The man Sean is now, is the man he’s always been. The good man was the facade.”

“Steph…” I whispered. My heart felt like it was shattering. “I’m so sorry.”

He sighed. “I am, too.”

“Did you tell Hawk?”

“Not yet. I don’t know if I will.” He pulled away and poured himself a cup of coffee. “I don’t know if that will make Sean’s death easier on him or harder. Part of me wants him to keep the memories I’ve lost.”

I hummed in understanding.

“Pushing Forrest out worked. Sean snapped on the call. He’s going to challenge me.”

My eyes widened. Fear and anticipation built within me.

The challenge terrified me. Steph would be putting his life on the line.

No matter how small Steph said the chance was, there was still a chance that he would be seriously hurt or worse.

If that chance didn’t exist, he would’ve claimed me already.

But the challenge was happening.

That meant no more living in fear. No more looking over my shoulder for kidnappers.

And soon, this would all be over.

“When is it?” I asked.

“Not sure yet,” Steph said. “Sean has to set the time and place. It’s his challenge, after all.”

He leaned against the counter, set his coffee aside, and then held his hand out to me. I let him pull me close again and wound my arms around his neck. We shared a kiss. “I know I shouldn’t be worried about you,” I murmured against his lips, “but I can’t help it.”

“Sean thinks he can beat me because of his bruised ego, which is exactly what I wanted. He’ll be cocky and sloppy. I’ll kill him, and this will finally come to an end.”

“I know you will.” I leaned forward and kissed his neck. “But it’s hard not to worry when you won’t claim me.”

He exhaled a short laugh. “I won’t let you drive without a seatbelt, either.” Before I could respond to that, he caught my lips in a deep kiss. “Harley, nothing will stop me from coming home to you and our son. Nothing.”

“Good,” I said. “You better.”

There was a knock at the front door, and Steph and I reluctantly untangled ourselves.

Before I could answer the door, it opened, and Mia whirled inside like a hurricane.

Her hair was tied back in two French braids, and she was wearing an old college soccer jersey.

“Can’t stay long. Got the cooler in the car, so I don’t want it to get too hot.

Tons of snacks for the kiddos, you know.

Wow, it smells good in here. It always smells good in here.

My house smells like diapers.” She rolled her eyes.

“Morning, Mia,” I said with a laugh. “You want a breakfast sandwich for the road?”

“Oh my god, you’re an angel. I’d love one.”

“Did someone say breakfast sandwiches?” Cassidy descended the stairs with Striker on her heels. She was still in her pajamas—sweatpants and a big, loose T-shirt—and when she moved, the neckline of the shirt slid to the side, revealing a bright pink bite at the curve of her neck and shoulder.

I squawked and slapped my hand over my mouth. “Cassidy!” I shouted, the sound muffled beneath my hand. “What the hell is that?!”

Cassidy cringed and adjusted her shirt. It didn’t really work—the edges of the claiming bite were still visible.

“Striker,” Steph said in a stern voice. “Same question.”

“What?” Cassidy threw her hands up and marched into the kitchen to fix her coffee. “It was the heat of the moment. Sue me.”

“The heat of the moment?” I echoed. “You do know that lasts forever , right?”

“Does she, Striker?” Steph crossed his arms over his chest.

Striker hesitated for a moment before he slung his arm around Cassidy’s shoulders. He met Steph’s eyes steadily. “She does.”

Steph dropped his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose, like he was suddenly exhausted. “Well, that’s good, I guess.”

“It would’ve happened eventually,” Cassidy said. “We’re fated, right? So who cares if it takes a few months or a few weeks. It’s not like I’m going to change my mind.”

Mia chuckled. “I wanted to let Hawk claim me after a week.”

“What?” I squawked. “But you said?—”

She waved a hand. “I know, I know. I wanted to let him claim me, but I made him work for it. ”